Run to the border

Canada urges U.S. to 'take time' on border IDs
2005-10-31 19:01:54 [National]
OTTAWA — Canada urged the United States on today to "take the time to get it right" in developing new border identification requirements, cautioning it to not throw the baby out with the bathwater in its bid for tighter security.

Ahh - you gotta love the voice of reason. And once again, that voice is Canadian. You may remember me writing about the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) in blogs gone by. This is the brainchild of reactionary breaucrats who believe that making every Canadian who enters the US have some sort of passport is a great way to promote cross border coorperation and security.

Of course, "Only 23 per cent of Americans and 40 per cent of Canadians have passports, and obtaining one is costly and can take weeks." That's great for the budgets of the US Consulate, I guess - but for everyday Americans and everyday Canadians, it's a burden and an expense.

Canada is asking the US to hold off until a reasonable policy is developed around cross border security and ID requirements - one that doesn't impede tourism or trade.

Myself? I'm all for opening the borders of North America - one great big travel and work zone, from Canada to Mexico. If you have any typical form of ID, you are welcome to enter and if you can find a job, you can work. Oh wait - that's GOTTA be too complicated!

Still - leaders do have until 2008 to do something that illustrates real leadership.